]]>GuidesThu, 29 Nov 2018 23:39:09 +0000New Built Schools - Did the Victorians get it right?https://www.thecaretakers.co.uk/CMS2/guides/3180-new-built-schools-did-the-victorians-get-it-right.html
https://www.thecaretakers.co.uk/CMS2/guides/3180-new-built-schools-did-the-victorians-get-it-right.html

Did the Victorians get it right?

This guide is from Caretakers who have to work in schools and clearly aimed at designers and architects' of new build schools (as well as refurbishments/upgrades).

We know how architects’ like to win awards for their ground-breaking designs and use of modern materials, but it doesn't hurt to take a step backwards and look to the past and see what actually worked. In fact, the Victorian's got a lot of things right.

Firstly, a subject that has recently been discussed on our forums, it concerns the use of carpets in schools. They may well keep noise levels down and look nice when first fitted, but after a few 100 pupils have marched over it with grass cuttings from the sports fields and walked in dog mess, they don't stay looking good for long. Caretakers find it unpleasant when having to get vomit out of carpet piles when pupils have been ill and when pupils have trodden their lunches and snacks on a carpet, they are frankly unhygienic harbouring all sorts of allergies, bacteria and wildlife/pests.

Washable vinyl is much more suitable in schools and newer soft (quiet) vinyl is available in an assortment of colours to blend in with your colour schemes.

Next, I'd like to move on to toilets. Toilets are renowned as places of vandalism and need to be made of materials that can withstand heavy abuse. So please stop making toilet cubical and doors from light weight MDF or chipboard. These need to be made from solid wood doors and brick or vandal proof partitions. They need to be painted so that any graffiti can be washed off easily and painted afterwards.

There are now solid, unbreakable materials’ (looks like granite) that sinks and toilet can be made from. These can even be sanded to remove graffiti and will take the toughest misuse. Flooring needs to be easily washable on a regular basis and if using vinyl, edges need to be curved like in showers and wet rooms and have floor drainage. Floor drains would aid cleaning and also prevent major flood incidents extending to corridors (a regular occurrence in many schools).

Please stop thinking that drinking fountains should be positioned in toilets. They encourage vandalism and require constant sanitizing to prevent bacteria spread by pupils who just don't understand issues with cross contamination. Few pupils, if any ever wash their hands after going to the toilet as this just doesn't seem to be instilled in kids these days. Looking under a microscope you will see that drinking fountain in toilets are covered in faecal matter. Would you like to drink water contaminated with someone else’s poo?

Next, a few words about convector heaters, if you visit most secondary schools you will find these dented, bent and probably not working correctly. Control stats are often covered by teachers pinning pupils work to walls and few teachers understand how to operate them. Often we read on our forums about teachers complaining it is too hot or cold in their rooms with windows wide open to keep the air fresh while the heater is rattling its heart out trying to heat the room. The biggest cause of callouts at night for caretakers is when the boilers frost stat as cut in and all the convector heaters start to operate on their own blowing warm air in front of PIR sensors.

Some architects’ tried installing overhead panel heaters to free up the spaces occupied by conventional heaters. But they just don't work. It takes ages for the heat to eventually arrive at head height and by the time it has the poor teacher is roasted. Likewise, without opening all the doors and windows, it takes hours when turned off for the affect to be felt by the occupants of the room.

Again, the Victorians got this right. Heavy iron painted radiators that were able to take any battering given to them by pupils (If a pupils tries to kick an iron radiator, they don't damage the radiator, they just hurt themselves) and with careful adjustment, most caretakers can get them set to satisfy most teachers requirement (there will always be the exception though). There are modern equivalents to this type of radiator but please ensure that there are no 'pupil accessible' bleed valves or adjustments.

It was a craze at one time to install designer electric sockets and switches. From my own experience, these were not readily replaceable, were ridiculously expensive to replace, could not be replaced for cheaper alternatives and just as expensive to have removed and standard fittings put in their place. They were also unable to put up with the kind of use/misuse in a school environment.

Avoid installing ceiling grids and tiles except in staff only areas. Pupils love to hit ceiling tiles and knock them out especially in corridors and stairways. They may not contain hazardous substances these days, but the fibrous material does make you itch until you have managed to have a shower. The shape of some tiles makes it very difficult for the DIY caretaker to get a good looking fit. Pupils also like to hide contraband in places like toilet ceilings. When replacing damaged ceiling tiles, many a caretaker has been hit on the head or knocked off of his steps by a cascade of hidden books or the remains of many months worth of uneaten sandwiches. I once found a stash of dirty underpants where a pupil regularly soiled himself. Please stick to solid plastered painted ceilings.

So, before grabbing that fresh sheet of white paper to complete your designs, just have a think about the options that were used in the past. The UK has been building new schools for 100's of years and in that time, some ideas have proved the test of time. Better still, speak to caretakers and find out what works and what doesn't.

I've commented a number of times about the Victorian era, but the truth is, many Victorian schools are still standing. Many much newer schools built in the 60's and 70's have been demolished. Admittedly, the Victorians over engineered everything they built, but as far as schools go, they needed to.

I'd personally go as far to say that ideas like placing the toilets outdoors was a good idea. My school had outside toilets. They didn't stink the school out and the caretaker just went in with a hose and disinfectant when they began to smell. Yes, they were cold in the winter, but kids didn't spend long in them. However, I don't go as far to suggest we go back to the days of wooden slat toilet seats and Izal (Greaseproof) medicated toilet paper.

I am sure there will be many other suggestions from our forum members as how best to improve our schools and I will add their comments over time to this guide.

Introducing young people to the world of work can help them understand the work environment, choose future careers or prepare for employment. We need young people to be offered opportunities to develop new skills and gain experience across the world of work. When employing a young person under the age of 18, whether for work, work experience, or as an apprentice, employers have the same responsibilities for their health, safety and welfare as they do for other employees. The HSE offer guidance on their website HERE

Many site staff/Caretakers are required to take on Work Experience students. Here is a check list we recommend you complete for each student. Download the Work Experience check list in PDF format

Work Experience – Check List

Insurance

Does the employer hold:

Employers Liability insurance and Public Liability insurance.

Where the student will be a vehicle passenger, does the employer hold current business vehicle insurance? Certificate viewed?

Prohibitions

Does the employer have adequate systems in place for the prevention of under-18s under prohibited equipment and/or chemicals?

Policy

Do they have a H&S policy in place?

Is there an identified person responsible for managing H&S?

Risk Assessment

Has the employer carried out full risk assessment to consider the risk to the young person?

Has the employed adequately controlled any significant risks identified?

First Aid

Is there a qualified first aider or appointed person?

Is First Aid equipment provided and records kept of treatment?

Accident Procedures

Is there an Accident Book available?

Is the employer aware of accident reporting procedures under RIDDOR?

Manual Handling

Is the young person expected to lift items?

If yes, is there appropriate equipment provided?

Is manual Handling training provided?

Environment

Is the workplace suitable and have adequate welfare facilities

Adequate heating

Adequate lighting

Suitable and clean toilets

Suitable eating

Drinking water available

First Aid facilities

Hours of work hours of work agreed and suitable?

Fire

Does the workplace have suitable means of raising the alarm in the event of a fire?

Are the adequate escape routes?

PPE

Is protective personal equipment required?

If yes, who is responsible for supplying PPE?

Other

Have you disclosed any information to the employers that may be required to keep the young person safe? (e.g. medical conditions / allergies etc)

Safeguarding

Is the young person aware of how to report any concerns that arise during the placement?

From early 2017 to Autumn 2019, the ESFA’s Condition Data Collection (CDC) programme will visit every government maintained school in England to collect data about the physical condition of school buildings and how they are managed.

The CDC is a data collection programme; it is not a full condition survey of the type often commissioned locally by responsible bodies. The ESFA will collect data on all government maintained schools in England. We recognise that schools and their responsible bodies commission asset management surveys which may appear similar in scope. The CDC is designed to achieve the particular objectives detailed below and be consistent across the school estate.

The CDC follows the Property Data Survey (PDS) undertaken between 2012 and 2014. Lessons learned from the PDS have informed the development of the CDC.

We are keeping schools, their responsible bodies and related professional bodies informed as the programme progresses.

We are also inviting them to provide feedback to help us improve further.

Purpose

The programme is designed to enable a fair distribution of capital maintenance funding. Its use to the department is as follows:

enabling capital allocation which is informed by school condition

identifying school blocks in need of replacement

supporting the development of capital allocations policy

providing evidence to justify capital bids to treasury

Responsible bodies (and, ultimately, their schools) will benefit from capital allocations. This is based on a consistent assessment across key elements of need. The department will use the data to target aggregated funding allocations, but it will not be suitable for individual school level decisions without additional information.

We are working with 6 external organisations to deliver the programme, as listed below:

Risk Management in a Nut Shell(Not to be confused with Risk Assessments)

As part of managing the health and safety of your business (yes, your academy/school is a business) you must control the risks in your workplace. To do this you need to think about what might cause harm to people and decide whether you are taking reasonable steps to prevent that harm – the hazard.

Types of Risk

There are many different types of risk that risk management plans can mitigate. Common risks include things like accidents in the workplace or fires, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. It can also include legal risks like fraud, theft, and sexual harassment lawsuits. Risks can also relate to business practices, or the security and storage of data and records.

The idea behind using risk management practices is to protect businesses from being vulnerable.

Many business risk management plans may focus on keeping the company viable and reducing financial risks. However, risk management is also designed to protect the employees, customers, and general public from negative events like fires or acts of terrorism that may affect them.

Risk management practices are also about preserving the physical facilities, data, records, and physical assets a school owns or uses.

While a variety of different strategies can mitigate or eliminate risk, the process for identifying and managing the risk is fairly standard and consists of five basic steps.

First, threats or risks are identified.

Second, the vulnerability of key assets like information to the identified threats is assessed.

Third, the risk manager must determine the expected consequences of specific threats to assets.

Fourth, figure out ways to reduce risks.

Fifth, prioritize the risk management procedures based on their importance.

There are as many different types of strategies for managing risk as there are types of risks. These break down into four main categories.

Risk can be managed by accepting the consequences of a risk and budgeting for it.

Another strategy is to transfer the risk to another party by insuring against a particular event, like fire or a slip-and-fall accident.

Closing down a particular high-risk area of a school can avoid risk.

The manager can reduce the risk's negative effects, for instance, by installing sprinklers for fires or instituting a back-up plan for data.

Having a risk management plan is an important part of maintaining a successful and responsible academy/school. Every academy/school should have one. It will help to protect people as well as physical and financial assets.

]]>GuidesMon, 14 May 2018 17:21:08 +0100Depression, what it is and its effects.https://www.thecaretakers.co.uk/CMS2/guides/3152-depression-what-it-is-and-its-effects.html
https://www.thecaretakers.co.uk/CMS2/guides/3152-depression-what-it-is-and-its-effects.html

We’ve all had it, now and in the past whether we knew about it or not, to varying degrees.It can manifest itself in many ways, Mentally, Physically, Spiritually and Physiologically. And because of that, there are a myriad of ways in which the effects can take hold. Work, home, the environment and surprisingly leisure can cause or add to the pressure building up and as the human psyche can take a lot of abuse above normal levels depression can happen slowly over time which is the first problem, recognising it and trying to do something about it.

First of all but not universal in application, drugs are available which can reverse depression or abate the symptoms. They will be prescribed by your GP but I would go to see a specialist before that event so that you can get both a professional and experienced diagnosis and prognosis of your condition. This should absolutely be your first port of call, but it is in many ways the most difficult path to take, divulging your inner most secrets to a stranger. Also, for a great majority of sufferers, this option is the first step in recognising your depression to yourself and an admittance of weakness in your own personality. That is not an easy thing to do.

It is a stigma that goes un-catalogued, a realisation that you are not strong enough to cope when all around you seem to take on life and shrug off the difficulties with ease and laugh in the face of adversity. It's an embarrassment to show this weakness to your colleagues and there is an inane sense not to burden people with your seemingly unimportant problems. In other words, you bottle it up.And as you bottle it up, the depression gets worse because you can’t get to the source of the aberration and whatever the reason or reasons for your depression they continue to add and take hold of your every thought and daily process.

Whether you begin with physical or physiological depression or even spiritual depression, the mind will take the brunt of it all. You can get out of the first two with comparative ease as they are both easily diagnosed, but mental ill health is far more intricate and as there are virtually no outward signs of depression (we are very good at hiding our depression from friends and family) only you can offer the insight to a professional in any meaningful way that isneeded for prognosis and help to diminish the symptoms, but of course, that visit has to happen in the first place.

So, what is depression?

The Mental Health Foundation describes it as....“Depression is a common mental disorder that causes people to experience depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.”Some or even all of these will manifest themselves in your everyday life and impose on your normality, reducing your functionality and subordinate your existence to others.

Signs and symptoms…

Tiredness and loss of energy. Sadness that doesn’t go away. Loss of self-confidence and self-esteem. Difficulty concentrating. Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. Not being able to enjoy things that are usually pleasurable or interesting.Feeling anxious all the time. Avoiding other people, sometimes even your close friends.Sleeping problems - difficulties in getting off to sleep or waking up much earlier than usual.Very strong feelings of guilt or worthlessness. Finding it hard to function at work/college/school. Loss of appetite. Loss of sex drive and/or sexual problems.Physical aches and pains. Thinking about suicide and death. Self-harm.

What types are there?

Mild depression.

Depression is described as mild when it has a limited negative effect on your daily life. For example, you may have difficulty concentrating at work or motivating yourself to do the things you normally enjoy.

Major depression

Major depression interferes with an individual’s daily life - with eating, sleeping and other everyday activities. Some people may experience only one episode but it is more common to experience several episodes in a lifetime. It can lead to hospital admission, if the person is so unwell they are at risk of harm to themselves.

Bi-polar disorder

The mood swings in bi-polar disorder can be extreme - from highs, where the individual feels extremely elated and indestructible, to lows, where they may experience complete despair, lethargy and suicidal feelings. Sometimes people have very severe symptoms where they cannot make sense of their world and do thingsthat seem odd or illogical.

Post-natal depression

Many new mothers experience what are sometimes called “baby blues” a few days after the birth. These feelings of anxiety and lack of confidence are very distressing but in most cases last only a couple of weeks. Post-natal depression is more intense and lasts longer. It can leave new mothers feeling completelyoverwhelmed, inadequate and unable to cope. They may have problems sleeping, panic attacks or an intense fear of dying. They may also experience negative feelings towards their child. It affects one in ten mothers and usually begins two to three weeks after the birth.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

SAD is associated with the start of winter and can last until spring when longer days bring more daylight. When it is mild, it is sometimes called ‘winter blues’. SAD can make the sufferer feel anxious, stressed and depressed. It may interfere with their moods and with their sleeping and eating patterns.

How do I get help?

Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and some forms of counselling and psychotherapy work well for depression, although you may have to wait to see a therapist on the NHS. You can pay to see someone privately and your GP may be able to recommend someone. Always check that any private therapist is registered with a professional body. There are several different kinds of talking therapy.Your GP can advise you about which you might find most helpful.

Counselling

Counselling gives people the chance to talk through everyday issues that may be causing depression and to develop strategies for resolving them.

Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy (sometimes called cognitive behavioural therapy or CBT) addresses the way you think and how this can cause depression. It teaches you skills to identify patterns of behaviour and thinking that are causing you problems and change them.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy can be more intensive than counselling although people and organisations often use these terms interchangeably. It often looks at how past experience may be affecting your life now, so it may involve delving deeply into early experiences and key relationships.This may take more time, although shorter, more focused ways of doing this have also been developed.

Interpersonal therapy focuses on how you relate and behave towards others. It helps you to build a better self-image and communicate more effectively with others.

Anti-depressants

In many cases your GP will recommend anti-depressants, either on their own or in combination with talking therapies. Anti-depressants do work for many people but inevitably they do have side effects. You can discuss these with your GP.

A word about Medication

Medication will not always be the first choice, especially if your depression is mild. There are a number of different types of antidepressants available. Your GP can explain which they believe is the best for you and why. What your doctor prescribes will depend on the type and severity of depression you have.If you experience problems from your medicine or have any concerns, speak to your GP.

If one medication does not work you may be prescribed something else. However, it takes a few weeks before your medicine starts to work so you need to allow enough time to see if it is going to be effective. It is important that you take the medicine for the length of time recommended by your GP. If you come off your medicine too soon (even if you feel better) this can lead to a relapse where the depression returns. As a rough guide, you will usually have to remain on treatment for at least six to nine months and in many cases it could be longer.

You need to follow your GP’s advice when you are coming off your medicine as it can be harmful if this is done too quickly.

The Important Bits

Help links to Helplines to people who can help you or a loved one or someone you are concerned for.

The over-riding message for all of us it that... "We don't have to suffer alone".

There are people and organisations that can offer real world help and guide us towards a better future and life.We don’t have to struggle with this condition and there are people on hand with the same feelings and experience that can share your anxiety and distress.Talking about it is the first big step so if you are really nervous about opening up, then try praying to whatever you believe exists up there (even if you are an agnostic or atheist) in the privacy of your own home where no-one is listening, it's a basic way to begin the conversation and it sometimes helps to begin the process.

Coping with Depression

Overcoming Depression One Step at a TimeDepression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. But while overcoming depression isn’t quick or easy, it’s far from impossible. You can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it,” but you do have more control than you realize—even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there by making positive choices for yourself each day.

How do you deal with depression?

Dealing with depression requires action, but taking action when you’re depressed can be hard. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action.

It’s the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. There is a big difference, however, between something that's difficult and something that's impossible. You may not have much energy, but by drawing on all your reserves, you should have enough to take a walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one.

Taking the first step is always the hardest. But going for a walk or getting up and dancing to your favourite music, for example, is something you can do right now. And it can substantially boost your mood and energy for several hours—long enough to put a second recovery step into action, such as preparing a mood-boosting meal or arranging to meet an old friend. By taking the following small but positive steps day by day, you’ll soon lift the heavy fog of depression and find yourself feeling happier, healthier, and more hopeful again.

Coping with depression: Reach out and stay connected.

Getting support plays an essential role in overcoming depression. On your own, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy perspective and sustain the effort required to beat depression. At the same time, the very nature of depression makes it difficult to reach out for help. When you’re depressed, the tendency is towithdraw and isolate so that connecting to even close family members and friends can be tough.You may feel too exhausted to talk, ashamed at your situation, or guilty for neglecting certain relationships. But this is just the depression talking. Staying connected to other people and taking part in social activities will make a world of difference in your mood and outlook. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it won’t mean you’re a burden to others. Your loved ones care about you and want to help. And if you don’t feel that you have anyone to turn to, it’s never too late to build new friendships.

In order to overcome depression, you have to do things that relax and energize you. This includes following a healthy lifestyle, learning how to better manage stress, setting limits on what you’re able to do, and scheduling fun activities into your day.While you can’t force yourself to have fun or experience pleasure, you can push yourself to do things, even when you don’t feel like it. You might be surprised at how much better you feel once you’re out in the world. Even if your depression doesn’t lift immediately, you’ll gradually feel more upbeat and energetic asyou make time for fun activities.Pick up a former hobby or a sport you used to like. Express yourself creatively through music, art, or writing. Go out with friends. Take a day trip to a museum, the mountains, or the park.

Aim for eight hours of sleep. Depression typically involves sleep problems; whether you’re sleeping too little or too much, your mood suffers. Get on a better sleep schedule by learning healthy sleep habits.Keep stress in check. Not only does stress prolong and worsen depression, but it can also trigger it. Figure out all the things in your life that stress you out, such as work overload, money problems, or unsupportive relationships, and find ways to relieve the pressure and regain control.Practice relaxation techniques. A daily relaxation practice can help relieve symptoms of depression, reduce stress, and boost feelings of joy and well-being. Try yoga, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation.

Exercise is something you can do right now to boost your mood.

Your fatigue will improve if you stick with it. Starting to exercise can be difficult when you’re depressed and feeling exhausted. But research shows that your energy levels will improve if you keep with it. Exercise will help you to feel energized and less fatigued, not more.

Find exercises that are continuous and rhythmic. The most benefits for depression come from rhythmic exercise:— such as walking, weight training, swimming, martial arts, or dancing—where you move both your arms and legs.Add a mindfulness element, especially if your depression is rooted in unresolved trauma or fed by obsessive, negative thoughts. Focus on how your body feels as you move — such as the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, or the feeling of the wind on your skin, or the rhythm of your breathing.

Pair up with an exercise partner. Not only does working out with others enable you to spend time socializing, it can also help to keep you motivated. Try joining a running club, taking a water aerobics or dance class, seeking out tennis partners, or enrolling in a soccer or volleyball league.

Take a dog for a walk. If don’t own a dog, you can volunteer to walk homeless dogs for an animal shelter or rescue group. You’ll not only be helping yourself but also be helping to socialize and exercise the dogs, making them more adoptable.

Eat a healthy, depression-fighting diet.

What you eat has a direct impact on the way you feel. Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your brain and mood, such as caffeine, alcohol, trans fats, and foods with high levels of chemical preservatives or hormones (such as certain meats).Don’t skip meals. Going too long between meals can make you feel irritable and tired, so aim to eat something at least every three to four hours.Minimize sugar and refined carbs. You may crave sugary snacks, baked goods, or comfort foods such as pasta or French fries, but these “feel-good” foods quickly lead to a crash in mood and energy. Aim to cut out as much of these foods as possible.

Boost your B vitamins.

Deficiencies in B vitamins such as folic acid and B-12 can trigger depression. To get more, take a B-complex vitamin supplement or eat more citrus fruit, leafy greens, beans, chicken, and eggs.Boost your mood with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in stabilizing mood.The best sources are fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, tuna, and some cold-water fish oil supplements.

Get a daily dose of sunlight.

Sunlight can help boost serotonin levels and improve your mood. Whenever possible, get outside during daylight hours and expose yourself to the sun for at least 15 minutes a day. Remove sunglasses (but never stare directly at the sun) and use sunscreen as needed.Take a walk on your lunch break, have your coffee outside, enjoy an al fresco meal, or spend time gardening.Double up on the benefits of sunlight by exercising outside. Try hiking, walking in a local park, or playing golf or tennis with a friend. Increase the amount of natural light in your home and workplace by opening blinds and drapes and sitting near windows. If you live somewhere with little winter sunshine, try using a light therapy box.

Dealing with the winter blues.

For some people, the reduced daylight hours of winter lead to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD can make you feel like a completely different person to who you are in the summer: hopeless, sad, tense, or stressed, with no interest in friends or activities you normally love. No matter how hopeless you feel, though, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your mood stable throughout the year.

Challenge negative thinking.

Do you feel like you’re powerless or weak? That bad things happen and there’s not much you can do about it?That your situation is hopeless? Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself and your expectations for the future.When these types of thoughts overwhelm you, it’s important to remember that this is a symptom of your depression and these irrational, pessimistic attitudes—known as cognitive distortions—aren’t realistic. When you really examine them they don’t hold up. But even so, they can be tough to give up. You can’t break out of thispessimistic mind frame by telling yourself to “just think positive.” Often, it’s part of a lifelong pattern of thinking that’s become so automatic you’re not even completely aware of it. Rather, the trick is to identify the type of negative thoughts that are fuelling your depression and replace them with a more balanced way of thinking.

Negative, unrealistic ways of thinking that fuel depression.

All or nothing thinking – Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground. (“If I fall short of perfection, I’m a total failure.”)Overgeneralisation – Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever. (“I can’t do anything right.”)The mental filter – Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right.Diminishing the positive – Coming up with reasons why positive events don’t count. (“She said she had a good time on our date, but I think she was just being nice.”)Jumping to conclusions – Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. You act like a mind reader (“He must think I’m pathetic”) or a fortune teller (“I’ll be stuck in this dead-end job forever.”)Emotional reasoning – Believing that the way you feel reflects reality. (“I feel like such a loser. I really am no good!”)'Shoulds' and 'Should Nots' – Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn’t do, and beating yourself up if you don’t live up to your rules.Labelling – Classifying yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings. (“I’m a failure; an idiot; a loser.”)

Put your thoughts on the witness stand.

Once you identify the destructive thoughts patterns that contribute to your depression, you can start to challenge them with questions such as:“What’s the evidence that this thought is true? Not true?”“What would I tell a friend who had this thought?”“Is there another way of looking at the situation or an alternate explanation?”“How might I look at this situation if I didn’t have depression?”As you cross-examine your negative thoughts, you may be surprised at how quickly they crumble. In the process, you’ll develop a more balanced perspective and help to relieve your depression.

Some websites that offer comprehensive explanations about depression are available online, one that has looked both in depth and helpful without being too complicated is here: https://thiswayup.org.au/how-do-you-feel/sad/

This site offers a self test as a guide to recognising certain features of depression and could help you see to what degree you are depressed or just heavily saddened: https://depression.org.nz/is-it-depression-anxiety/self-test/

As has been said, you are not alone even though you feel isolated, branch out, speak out and let the light destroy the darkness and lift the shroud of despair.##

While a workplace fire warden must not put themselves at risk while carrying out their duties, they are essentially there to carry out many elements of a fire risk assessment, to increase the chances of preventing a fire in the first place.

Fire Warden Duties in the work place might include:

All fire exits and routes must remain free from obstruction and available at all times. It is crucial that final exits are opened to check they are not blocked from the outside.

Break glass call points are visible and have a break glass point sign and emergency fire action notice adjacent to them.

Ensuring Fire extinguishers are in their correct place, serviced, signed and stowed above floor level.

General house-keeping is in good order i.e. paper storage and waste controlled. No room with a fixed source of ignition or heat is to be used for the storage of combustible materials.

Control of flammable liquids and hazardous materials.

Electrical safety check.

Monitoring the build-up of rubbish.

The Emergency lighting is working correctly.

Exit sign surveys are in order.

Fire doors are clear.

Reactive fire warden duties

While the main role of the Fire Warden is to try and prevent fires, there are often times where fire occurs, and the warden needs to react.

In a reactive position, their responsibilities might include:

Fighting fires / use of fire extinguishers.

Raise the alarm / call the emergency services.

Direct staff and pupils to safe available exit routes.

Sweep all rooms where safe to do so ensuring toilets and places like walk in cupboards are checked.

Assist disabled people.

Close all windows in rooms and corridors.

Close all doors and fire doors.

Ensure final fire doors are closed.

Ensure hazardous manufacturing processes and machinery has been isolated.

Take part in the roll call at the assembly point.

Report to the fire service on their arrival.

How many Fire Wardens for your school?

This depends on the size of the building and the number of staff, looking at the duties and responsibilities above, it may be OK for 1 person to deal with all of it in a small office space, however, in a multi room or multi floored building with tens (or hundreds) of staff, it’s clearly too much responsibility for 1 person.

Added to the actual list of responsibilities there needs to be consideration of staff going on training, staff going on holiday or staff being off sick. In those situations, having at least one other warden in place would make sense.

Here are some steps people should follow to prepare and stay safe during severe winter weather:

BE PREPARED

Preparation doesn’t have to start when Jack Frost comes out.A good start in the spring will work wonders.

Start by preparing a brine (salt water) solution. Do this by filling a 15ltr jug (or two) with water. Add some salt tablets from the dishwashers or purifiers. Keep doing this (it takes a couple of months) until they no longer dissolve. Your mix is ready so store it to one side and label it as Salt Solution (more on using it later).

Take care of your equipment. Just because the warmer weather is here does not mean you can pack it away and forget it for a while. Use this time to hose the salt and grit off your tools and don't forget to use a generous amount of lubricant (WD-40 or whatever is your choice) to keep away the rust and corrosion from the salt.

Look out for the clearance sales on the salt and grit, and any other winter tools from your local stores. Cheaper to buy it now when nobody wants it rather than later when everyone else wants it.

FIRST FROST

Don't panic at the first frost of the year. It's now time to make sure your guns are ready.

You got your brine spray ready right? Get yourself a garden sprayer (one of the hand held 1.5ltr pump up type, get it in the autumn when stores are trying to get rid of them cheap) and fill it with your brine solution. Pump it up and a quick spray will melt any frost or ice in minutes. Ramps and steps are the target here. The salt will melt the frost/ice and keep from refreezing.

Keep an eye on the weather, mainly the temperature and the humidity. Just because the temperature is down does not mean there will be frost or ice. You need water for it so a low humidity will not produce frost or ice.

Remember, you don't need a shovel full of grit to keep your playground clear. A little will go a long way. A light sprinkle of salt will keep the frost away for days.

This guide is a direct copy first published in 2003 on The Caretakers' Website. The subject of colour coding has been raised several times on our forums and I thought you might find it useful.

Colour coding of all your cleaning equipment is very important to prevent cross-contamination. In my school all equipment is colour coded (mops, buckets, dustpans and brushes, cloths, brooms etc). The most important is the cloths your cleaners use.

Gone are the days when cleaners put dirty dish cloths all together in a bucket overnight to soak. Ask yourself, Can you guarantee that the cloth your cleaner is using today to wash a pupils desk wasn't used to clean out the urinal bowl yesterday?

No hard and fast rule apply as to what colours you choose to use as long as all staff know what the system you use is.

Below you can see the colour coding system I use in my school.

Use disposable cloths that can be thrown away after 1-2 days.

Equipment with different colours must not touch each other! The way your cleaning staff keep thier cleaning cupboards is vitally important. Equip your cupboards out with clips and shelving so that your equipment can be stored within it's own colour without any risk of touching another colour. EG, Have a red wall, yellow wall etc.

You might think Asbestos is something new, but it has been used for thousands of years. From Egyptian mummification to table cloths, Asbestos has been used throughout time. Even as far back as the Roman Empire, Roman philosopher and naturalist Pliny the Elder noted that slaves who mined asbestos suffered from a sickness of the lungs and died at an early age.

Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral, but it wasn't really until the late 1800's when Asbestos started to be used in manufacturing when problems with it started to show.

At the turn of the century, Asbestos was needed for lagging ships, steam engines and boiler parts. Then the textile industry got in on the act of producing Asbestos products like oven gloves, fire proof clothing and fire blankets etc. In the 50's, 60's and 70's, numerous building products were made containing Asbestos such as corrugated roofing material, roof/wall and floor tiles, fire proof sprayed coatings/plaster coatings, Artex, pipes, gaskets and insulation material etc.

So, where does the scandal come in? Well, it all started with a young girl born in 1891 called Nellie Kershaw. She worked in an Asbestos mill and died at the young age of 29. Her death was the first ever case described in medical literature as pulmonary asbestosis. She wasn't alone, many mill workers and those in the Asbestos textile industry were starting to die.

From that moment on, governments became aware of the link between Asbestos and its health effects. So why didn't they ban it in the early 1900's? Well, you need to recognise that at that time there was a British Empire and guess who owned the majority of Asbestos mines. Britain wasn't about to shoot itself in the foot by stopping production. Also, life in those times was far cheaper. When companies built tunnels and bridges, they expected to lose a number of lives. The same applied in the Asbestos industry. Life was cheap.

Successive governments chose not to bother about the dangers of Asbestos. Let's face it, there were 2 world wars which kept their minds occupied.

Then, after the second world war, Britain was on its knees. It needed cheap building materials and asbestos products fit the bill perfectly. Starting in the 50's and particularly in the 60's and 70's, local authorities built vast estates and tower blocks to meet the housing shortage. From sprayed Asbestos for fire proofing to roofing products and insulation boards, Asbestos of all types was used and often mixed together. Where can you find Asbestos?

Where previously, Asbestos proved to be a health issue in its production and in the manufacturing of Asbestos products, now many builders, electricians, carpenters and plumbers are suffering from its effects. Currently, the HSE claim 4500 people die every year due to breathing in or ingesting Asbestos fibres.

In 1980, Margaret Thatcher decided to let tenants of council owned properties to buy their own properties and also handed swaths of housing over to housing associations to manage. (By 1987, 1,000,000 council houses had been sold bring in substantial funds for the government).

She must have been rubbing her hands together thinking she was glad to get rid of that ticking time bomb. Now, I am not suggesting for one minute that our government thought in this way, but funny how legislation to ban asbestos followed shortly after. In 1985, the UK banned the import and use of both blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos. It wasn't until the year 2000 that all asbestos was banned in the UK.

So between the early 1900's when the first cases of Asbestos related illnesses began to show, to finally banning all types of Asbestos in 2000 - How many governments chose to ignore its dangers and how many people died?

However, this is the assumption that asbestos when discovered will be removed. But, the reality is that many housing associations and building contractors prefer to encapsulate it as it is a much cheaper option. That basically means, cover it up or hide it so that it isn't dangerous to anyone. Like over-boarding ceilings. But in my view, this is just storing up problems for the future especially if the encapsulation hasn't been recorded properly.

I also question the number of deaths the HSE claim (4500 a year). The reality is, that because it can take 20-30-40 years before asbestos illness takes hold of a person, few people can remember (or prove where they were working with it) 30-40 years ago. When they go to the hospital with chest problems, the first question asked is "Do you smoke"?. Many 1000's of deaths are likely to be put down to smoking rather than asbestos. That figure means there are probably many 1000's more people die from asbestos related illness as they have been misdiagnosed. It would mean that Asbestos is far more dangerous than evidence would suggest. It probably also means that far fewer people die from smoking related diseases than officially reported (but that's a whole other story).

One area that got overlooked in Margaret Thatcher's sell off plans of the 80's, were the 1000's of government owned schools and municipal buildings like museums, libraries, hospitals and police stations. That legacy is currently rearing its ugly head now and yet governments are still happy to ignore the dangers to the public and not find sufficient funds to remove it. Oh, maybe they hope Academies will take that problem away.

Finally, it has been said that Fibreglass is the next Asbestos. Fiberglass emits a synthetic material called styrene, which is a possible carcinogenic according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But here in the UK, guess who helped fund (gave grants) to home owners to install fibreglass insulation into their homes? Yes, the British Government. Lets hope that it doesn't take another 100 years for the UK to introduce measures to protect workers and home owners.